Meet Maria

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little bit about me and my blog!

My name is Maria. I am a holistic nutritionist, food blogger, recipe developer, aspiring food photographer, and dog lover.

I created this blog to keep track of my recipes and share my passion for nutrition and wellness.

I know that many people still think that healthy food is boring, but I believe that it’s delicious and beautiful.

About My Recipes

I don’t count calories or follow any trendy diets. I just do my best to eat a variety of fresh whole foods.

My goal is to create clean eating balanced meals with good sources of protein, low-glycemic carbohydrates, healthy fats, lots of veggies, greens, and all other great tasting foods that are good for you.

Even though I am not vegetarian, many of my recipes are meatless or vegan. I learned a lot about the advantages of the vegetarian diet when I was attending the nutrition school and believe that most of us can benefit from eating more plants.

I also talk a lot about low-glycemic eating because I have a family history of obesity and type 2 diabetes. A few years ago, I started paying more attention to keeping my blood sugar stable and it has been working quite well for me.

Since I am not diabetic, this blog is not a blog for diabetics. It’s simply a blog with clean eating recipes that are often naturally low GI.

About My Work

In 2014, I completed the Applied Nutrition Diploma program at the Canadian Alive Academy of Natural Health and received my Holistic Nutritionist Certification.

Since then, I’ve been focusing on recipe development, food photography and freelance writing. My work has appeared on popular websites as well as in print.

Here are a few highlights:

• My recipes have been featured in many round-ups on websites such as Country Living, Buzzfeed, Graitist, Yummly, FaveHealthy Recipes, and many more;
• I wrote articles about healthy eating and cooking for the Vitamix blog;
• In addition to developing recipes for my blog, I also create recipes for Curious Cuisiniere;
• My recipes are available through the online meal planning service called EatLove;
• My recipe and photo for Chocolate and Raspberry Chia Pudding were published in Sweet Dreams Magazine (by Lisa Kochen & Backen, Germany).

About My Team

The members of my blogging team are:

• my husband who is the Chief Executive Taste Tester;
• my neighbor Carole who is my English Language Adviser;
• my dog Toby who is supposed to be my Executive Assistant but is constantly sleeping on the job (if you want to know more about Toby, read our Dog Adoption Story);
• our budgie Blue who is the Sound Engineer in charge of the pleasant work environment.

A Little Bit About Me

Here are a few facts I thought you might want to know about me:

• I learned how to cook by following recipes and carefully measuring ingredients;
• I am a Russian-born Canadian and now live in the most multicultural city in the world – Toronto (voted by me!);
• I read cookbooks like novels;
• I like to sew my own clothes;
• My favorite foods are coconut, chocolate, and raspberries.

Where to Find Me

Join me on my social media sites:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mariaushakova.blog/
• Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/MariaUshakova
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MariaUshakova.FanPage

Disclaimer

Even though I am a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, the nutrition information provided on my blog is not to be used as nutrition therapy of any kind. Consult your healthcare provider if you intend to change your diet. The information on this blog is for entertainment purposes only.

The images on this page are by Trevor Harris Photo.